Holy Boldness

ence. Many refuse to move until they have clarity and can see the whole process. But these will never advance far. Because truly understanding and finding full access to Jesus and His mission involves friendship and obedience in the process. Jesus’ close associates were those who were committed to discern ing and obeying the will of God. These were Jesus’ “ brothers, sisters, and mothers .” Jesus identified His family as those who pursued and fulfilled the will of God. This focus reminds us of the answer He gave to His natural mother and father when they found Him in the temple when He was twelve years old; “Did you not know that I must be about the things of my Father?” (Luke 2:49) Jesus harkens back to the original plumb line of His life; He must be about His father’s business and His loyalties would be given to those who were about the same thing. Now, look at those two statements from when He was only 12 and when His family sought audience with Him: When he was asked by His parents where He had been: “I must be about the things of my Father,” and when He was told His family wanted to meet with Him: “Whoever does the will of my Father…” These two answers of Jesus originate from the same well of passion for the Father’s will. In the place of deep loyalty to the Father’s will is where Jesus went looking for His friends and family. It is where He still goes. So what does that say about Jesus’ relationship with Mary and His brothers? Did Jesus fail His family responsibility? Jesus loved His family. From the cross, Jesus commissioned His disciple John to take care of His mother. His brother James became the key leader of the church at Jerusalem. Mary was in the upper room with the disciples on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out. But Jesus was called to a greater family, a spiritual family consisting of all the nations of the world. Jesus’ care for his natural family translated into calling them into His spiritual family. They all had to make the transition into the greater family, including Mary. They could not lay a claim to Jesus based on family ties. In the end, their access to Jesus came the same way everybody else’s came, through loyalty to the purposes of God. This statement is not to deny that anyone can come to Jesus at any time in prayer. But we are not Was Jesus disloyal to His natural relations?

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